ts and I will get the gold down to them, never fear."

"Good!" one of the rich men had exclaimed.

"And, just to show you we're with you, we'll make it 35 per cent."

Now, Johnny remembered all of that. He remembered too how he had picked
his miners, and his crew for the big gasoline schooner which was to bring
them to the scene of their labors, and his two air men who were to man
their emergency transportation--an airplane. He remembered with what high
hopes he had landed on those bleak shores and had taken up the task of
making his men comfortable for the long winter. Only yesterday the housing
work had been completed, and to-day, while the other laborers were going
over the rusted machinery, he had sent his best man, Langlois, into the
most promising looking mine to discover the conditions there. The man had
not returned. After four hours of waiting, he had called to Pant, and
together they had entered the mine. They had found that death had already
broken through their guard.

"Let him lie as he is," Johnny said to his companion. "We will bring in
the doctor and two other men. This is a land without law. There will be no
coroner's inquest. That is all the more reason why we must be careful to
avoid all appearance of foul play. When men are 'on their own' everything
must be done in the open."

Before turning toward the mouth of the mine, he cast one sweeping glance
about the place. Beyond the body there was a pool of water. It was evident
that a warm spring must enter the place near this shallow pool, for the
walls on all sides were white with frost. In the middle of this pool,
driven into the earth was a pick. It was rusty and its handle was slimy
with dampness. Close to the end of the handle were the marks of a man's
fingers where his firm grip had ground off particles of the black rot. It
seemed evident that the pick had lain on the floor of the mine, that
Langlois had taken it up and driven it into the earth which had been
softened by the water. Then death must have come, for he lay not three
feet from the handle of the pick.

"Dead," Johnny whispered to himself as he turned away, "but how?"

Half way to the entrance, Johnny paused, put his hand on his companion's
arm, then stood in the attitude of listening. He seemed to feel rather
than hear an almost undetectable shudder that set the air about them and
the rock beneath their feet to vibrating.

"What is it?" whispered Johnny.

"I don't know," said his